Predicting Broncos' final 53-man roster & 10-man practice squad

Who will make Denver's final roster and practice squad when the cutdowns come on Saturday?

Cutdown day is approaching rapidly for all the NFL teams, and the Denver Broncos have already made a few cuts in preparation for it. Denver parted ways with veterans Zach Kerr, Dekoda Watson and Nick Williams, giving the players a chance to catch on elsewhere and opening up three spots on the roster.

The Broncos may decide to add three players to fill those roster spots, but with just a few days until cutdowns arrive, the team could just wait and make the moves later. Monday's cuts also gave Denver some financial breathing room, freeing up over $3 million in cap space.

For the Broncos, they still have some big decisions coming and tough cuts to make. For this 53-man roster projection, I have exhausted all of my contacts to try and pinpoint players whose stock is high within the team and are more likely to make the roster.

Quarterbacks: 3

Denver is in a tough spot at quarterback. Joe Flacco is obviously going to make it as the starter, and Drew Lock was set to be the backup but ended up hurt two games ago. Lock still should make the roster, but Denver not needs to find another backup QB. 

Kevin Hogan and Brett Rypien had a chance to step up and win the job, but both put together poor performances against the Rams last week. That leaves Denver two options; roll with one of them as the backup, or go find another veteran option.

53-man roster: Joe Flacco, Veteran QB (off-roster)/Kevin Hogan, Drew Lock

Running backs: 3

While the Broncos have three clear options in Phillip Lindsay, Royce Freeman and Devontae Booker to make the roster, they have Theo Riddick, which is a wrinkle. Denver brought Riddick in to be a third-down back, only to see him get hurt almost immediately. 

Do the Broncos wait for Riddick to get healthy, or just cut bait? With what Booker has shown, it would be better to just cut bait and role with Lindsay, Freeman and Booker.

53-man roster: Phillip Lindsay, Royce Freeman, Devontae Booker

Fullbacks: 1

Andy Janovich got hurt in the Niners game, which opened up the door for undrafted rookie George Aston. Aston has played well, but just not quite well enough to make the roster. 

The question then becomes, do you keep Janovich on the roster letting him take up a spot while he heals up? You have game day inactives, and the Broncos could use a tight end to hold over them over at fullback until Janovich comes back.

53-man roster: Andy Janovich

Wide receivers: 5

The discussion here is whether the Broncos keep six receivers or not. Denver has five locks with Courtland Sutton, Emmanuel Sanders, DaeSean Hamilton, Tim Patrick and Juwann Winfree. With the release of Nick Williams, the last spot looks like it is between Trinity Benson, Kelvin McKnight and River Cracraft, but it all comes down to play on special teams. 

In the end, I don’t see the Broncos keeping a sixth receiver and instead using Devontae Booker as their return man.

53-man roster: Courtland Sutton, Emmanuel Sanders, DaeSean Hamilton, Tim Patrick, Juwann Winfree

Tight ends: 4

There have been so many injuries at the tight end position that it is hard to come away with who should make it. Every tight end, except for Moral Stephens and Orson Charles, has gotten banged up this offseason, so how much of a factor will that play into building the roster? 

I think it will have a big role, along with being without Janovich. I have four tight ends making the roster, though I think once Janovich is back, that number may go down. I did play with cutting Heuerman for cap purposes, but he seems safe based on the conversations I've had. 

Orson Charles’ versatility to play fullback helps him stick around, even if temporarily. Jake Butt had a solid Rams game, but now he is undergoing another procedure on his problematic knee, so he seems to be headed for injured reserve. Denver can get him back to 100% and hope he can compete in 2020 in what will be his final year. 

53-man roster: Noah Fant, Jeff Heuerman, Troy Fumagalli, Orson Charles

Offensive line: 10

The starting unit on the offensive line has yet to play a game together because of Ron Leary missing time with as he recovers from his Achilles injury, and the depth isn’t very promising. As much as keeping 10 offensive linemen hurts, the Broncos have too many issues to really cut corners here with depth and injury history. 

Obviously, the five starters make it, and for their backups there just aren’t many quality options to choose from. The depth lineman that has looked the best if John Leglue, but he has been with the third unit and can still use some time to develop.

53-man roster: Garett Bolles, Ja'Wuan James, Elijah Wilkinson, Jake Rodgers, Dalton Risner, Ron Leary, Sam Jones, Don Barclay, Connor McGovern, Austin Schlottmann

Defensive line: 7

This position seems pretty settled with the release of Zach Kerr, who I didn’t have making the roster prior to him getting cut. There is a chance for DeShawn Williams to make it, but it really comes down to what he does this week. 

Williams is consistent as a run defender and had a good game against the Rams. Mike Purcell is also pushing for a spot with really standing out against the Rams. 

53-man roster: Adam Gotsis, Shelby Harris, Derek Wolfe, Dre’Mont Jones, Mike Purcell, DeMarcus Walker, DeShawn Williams

Edge: 4

Similarly to the defensive line, edge seems pretty set with the release of Dekoda Watson. Obviously, there is Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, and the depth has seen two rookies step up in Justin Hollins and Malik Reed. 

No other edge defender has really stepped up their game to even be considered for the roster, though Ahmad Gooden has given himself a chance at the practice squad.

53-man roster: Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Justin Hollins, Malik Reed

Inside linebackers: 4

Another position that has been plagued with injuries for the Broncos. Starter Todd Davis’ status for the season opener is in doubt, and their depth hasn’t really risen to the occasion. Josey Jewell has also been banged up, and the Broncos moved Jamal Carter from safety to linebacker. 

Alexander Johnson has looked the best of the bunch of depth guys, but he has had his moments where he really struggled and that is concerning for his starting prospects, even if temporary. As for Keishawn Bierria, he hasn’t done enough to make it, Joe Dineen is likely to land on injured reserve and Josh Watson has looked solid as a hybrid having played edge as well.

53-man roster: Josey Jewell, Todd Davis, Alexander Johnson, Josh Watson

Defensive backs: 9

The Broncos have some versatility in their secondary, largely brought by Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson. both of whom are able to drop down and play corner in some situations, or play high safety roles. 

The Broncos also have Bryce Callahan, capable of playing nickel and boundary, as well as Isaac Yiadom and De'Vante Bausby as their depth corners. Unfortunately, the other corner who was stepping up was Horace Richardson, but he has landed on injured reserve.

As for their safeties, Will Parks has really stepped it up, and Dymonte Thomas has looked solid this preseason and has made solid progress. The question becomes what do the Broncos do with Su’a Cravens? He has stepped up in practice, but hasn’t had it materialize in-game and also has missed some time. 

The versatility of the other defensive backs may make Cravens expendable. We'll see. As it stands now, the Broncos might end up carrying nine defensive backs, and that's where I have them now.

53-man roster: Chris Harris, Jr., Kareem Jackson, Justin Simmons, Bryce Callahan, Isaac Yiadom, Will Parks, Su’a Cravens, De’Vante Bausby, Dymonte Thomas

Special teams: 3

Denver has three solid special teams players with no competition. Brandon McManus is a solid kicker, Casey Kreiter a good long snapper and Colby Wadman has shown a lot of improvement from a year ago. Those are the three specialists.

53-man roster: Brandon McManus, Colby Wadman, Casey Kreiter

Practice squad

Brett Rypien, QB: Denver wants to continue to develop him. His game against the Rams will help him slide through waivers to be brought back. He isn’t ready for the backup job, but has had flashes to continue to work with.

Khalfani Muhammad, RB: You can see he has potential to be a playmaker, but still has some work to do. Keeping him in reserve in case the Broncos suffer an injury would be a smart move for the offense.

George Aston, FB: With Janovich hurt, Aston has looked quite good. Has he earned a roster spot? Not quite, but with Janovich set to be a free agent next year, the Broncos can work with Aston and give him a shot next year at a cheaper rate than Janovich.

Trinity Benson, WR: He has the speed to be a deep threat, but hasn’t had a chance to really show it. Denver can sit and continue to develop him for an extra year on the practice squad and compete next year when they will likely be without Emmanuel Sanders.

Kelvin McKnight, WR: His best chance to make it was as a returner, but he has fumbled that away this year. His practice squad spot is in jeopardy, but for me, he has shown enough potential as a receiver to give a longer shot.

John Leglue, OL: The undrafted rookie has gotten some praise from members of the organization and he has put up some good tape. There are clear areas that need improvement, and a year working on the practice squad under Mike Munchak could do wonders for him.

Quinn Bailey, OL: His tape has been okay, but for all the developmental prospects on the offensive line, he is that has looked second best for the practice squad.

Ahmad Gooden, OLB: He has flashed some potential coming off the edge for the Broncos this preseason. They like to keep an extra edge on the practice squad, and he is the only option.

Jamal Carter, S/LB: The safety-to-linebacker convert has shown he has potential as a linebacker, but he needs a lot of work and some time to bulk up for the position. There is a chance he makes the roster for special teams play.

Alijah Holder, CB: Regarding Holder, I've heard a lot of positive comments made about him as a defensive back. He has seen reps at corner and at safety and looked good enough to be kept around and developed. 

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